The Devil's Arithmetic, Jane Yolen

The book tells the story of Hannah, a young Jewish girl in modern America. Hannah is a teenager, and she serves as our narrator throughout the novel. Hannah is a “typical” teenage girl, and she is preoccupied with clothing and social activities more than she is interested in her family's heritage and religion. When the story opens our first experience with Hannah is her ambivalence towards the Jewish holiday that she is celebrating with her family, and this ultimately makes it very difficult to like her at the beginning of the book.


However, this changes when a major shift in the plot occurs. During the holiday meal, Hannah is chosen to symbolically welcome the Prophet Elijah by opening the door to the apartment where she and her family are celebrating. This action somehow transports her back to Poland in 1942, where World War II is in full swing and every Jew is persecuted. Hannah is put into the body of 13-year-old Chaya Abramowicz, and before she even has a grasp on what is happening and where she is, she and her “uncle” and “aunt” are on a train to a concentration camp.

Here is an excerpt from this moment in the book:

“The men down there, she cried out desperately, "They're not wedding guests. They're Nazis. Nazis! Do you understand? They kill people. They killed--kill--will kill Jews. Hundreds of them. Thousands of them. Six million of them! I know. Don't ask me how I know, I just do. We have to turn the wagons around. We have to run!"

This moment shows Hannah/Chaya's confusion and ignorance in the situation, and it becomes evident to both the reader and to Hannah herself that she needs to develop some grasp of what is happening around her. She has to rely on her limited knowledge of her people's history and put trust in strangers in order to survive the persecution of the Nazis.

Some of the themes present in this novel are kindness towards strangers, trusting your instincts, the importance of family and heritage, and the strength and resilience of the human spirit. The end of the book provides a final plot twist that makes the book well worth reading overall. If you like this book, you might also like Night by Elie Wiesel or Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky

Set in the early 90's, The Perks of Being a Wallflower outlines the experience of high-schooler Charlie through the style of an epistolary novel. What is an epistolary novel, you ask?

“An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. The usual form is letters, although diary entries, newspaper clippings and other documents are sometimes used.” (wikipedia.org)

Okay, so Charlie is writing these letters, which make up the body of the novel, to a friend that he has who we never really learn the true identity of. We see how Charlie's experience as a freshman in high school is especially challenging, and throughout the course of the novel it is difficult not to get very attached to Chbosky's extremely well developed protagonist. The final few letters by Charlie serve as an insight into the mental and emotional turmoil experienced by many teenagers, and I truly believe that any reader could not only relate but also feel comforted by the moving representation of the difficulties of being a teenager. The novel's realistic voice and popular culture references draw the reader in and allow for interaction with the text and even ownership.

I would suggest this coming of age story to any of my students regardless of their interests or ability level. I think that any kid who has ever felt left out, awkward, scared, lonely, ANYTHING, would find something in this novel to relate to or learn from. I have often heard this book be connected to The Catcher in the Rye, and I am curious to read the canonical text and see how it relates to this book.

Your Own, Sylvia: A verse portrait of Sylvia Plath, Stephanie Hemphill

This book is written in a completely original and interesting way. The book is a fictionalized biography (based on Plath's own writing and other nonfiction sources) of Sylvia Plath that chronicles the artist's life from childhood through her death. The poems are written about milestones in Plath's life, by people who would have been directly involved in that milestone, from teachers to friends to her husband.

I like that the book is based on true events and people, and I found the poems to be very well written and evocative of Plath's own voice and style.

I would like to share one of my favorite pieces from the anthology, a poem written by her brother between 1942-3, that reflects on his first memories of Sylvia writing:


Selfish
Warren Plath, Sylvia's brother 1942-1943
Mommy gave Sylvia
a blue cloth book
without words
where Sylvia puts words
each day.

I ask her what stories
are in there,
but Sivvy shakes her head,
locks the book under her bed,
says that the words are hers,
that the stories are her thoughts
that the book is called a journal.

I tell Sivvy that I want one too.
I have lots to say.
She says, “No, you don't.
You're too little to say anything
important.”

Mean, mean, mean,
I think under my breath.

The City of Ember, Jeanne DuPrau

Ember is an underground, post-apocalyptic city that is run completely by electricity generated through the Pipeworks. The city is only a few generations old, but already any knowledge of a world beyond Ember has been lost except for a set of instructions for escape enclosed in a box that has been passed through the mayors but never opened since the cities establishment. We are introduced to Ember through the experience of 12 year-old Lina Mayfleet, an orphan who has just begun her job as a Messenger for the city.

Shortly after the story begins Ember begins to fall apart. Supplies are scarce, the generator is dying, and it becomes clear that before long Ember will perish. As a messenger, Lina works closely with several members of the city, taking correspondence back and forth between the citizens, including the Mayor. Lina begins to piece together the secret to escaping Ember, as well as the secret to the city's history. The series of events that occur after this discovery ultimately decide the fate of the dying community.

This novel is a page-turner. It's a pretty easy read, something I would suggest students grade 7 and up read on their own. I don't think that I would choose to build a unit around this book, but I do think that it serves as interesting and valuable reading material that has the potential to make even the most hesitant child enjoy reading.

*This novel now has two sequels, and a film version has been made!

The View From Saturday, E.L. Konigsburg

One of my favorite novels growing up, The View From Saturday looks at “The Souls”, a group of sixth graders (Nadia, Ethan, Noah and Julian) who compete as a team in the Academic Bowl for their school under the supervision of their paraplegic teacher Mrs. Olinski. The Souls are underdogs, becoming state champions over even the seventh and eighth grade teams in their own school and across the state. The most interesting feature of the novel is the narrative structure; the book is a compilation of stories with each chapter featuring the story or experience of one member of the team, half told from the point of view of the character and the other half told in the more traditional novel style of third person narration. The stories show how the characters lives overlap and are connected, and also give us insight into the diverse personalities that make up the ultimate team of brainiacs.

My favorite character in the story is Ethan, because I can identify with his struggle to escape the shadow of his big brother who seems to be practically perfect in every way. Growing up I had a lot of the same teachers as my sister, and so I often felt like I had to live up to her when I entered their classroom (by the time parent teacher conferences rolled around my parents always heard how different we were, and it didn't always seem to be a good thing in their opinion). In the book Ethan finally has a teacher that doesn't know his brother, and it serves as an opportunity to finally let his personality shine through without feeling like he is letting anyone down. Ethan is an introvert, but his silence doesn't mean that he isn't bright or that he doesn't think about things. To the contrary, Ethan is always thinking and is pretty brilliant in my opinion, and when he starts hanging out with the Souls he comes out of his shell and is able to finally share everything he has always had to offer but never had the chance to in the past.

I would recommend this book for seventh and eighth graders, and I would probably use it as a tool to teach different narrative structures and voice, since the novel is told from multiple points of view and by several different speakers.

*This book was the 1997 Newbery Medal Recipient

Silent to the Bone, E.L. Konigsburg

A story about a preteen named Branwell, Silent to the Bone is told from the point of view of Branwell's best friend, Connor. Connor is Branwell's voice throughout the story; at the beginning of the novel we find out that Branwell has been accused of dropping his baby sister, Nikki, who is critically injured and in the hospital. Shortly after the accusation Branwell stops talking and through Connor's narration it becomes obvious that Branwell is not guilty and that there is more to the story. Connor makes it his mission to prove Branwell's innocence, but finds it almost impossible since Branwell won't say a word to anyone, including him. Connor finds a unique way of gathering clues and making connections, and through clever work and perseverance, driven by his love for his best friend, Connor is able to prove Branwell's innocence and piece together the true story of what happened to Nikki.

I would recommend this book for students in grade 7 or higher. It deals with issues of child abuse and corrupt authority, and would best be read by younger audiences with a fair amount of parental guidance. Kids who decide to read this book will definitely have questions, and would benefit from talking about what they are reading since the material gets heavy at times.

I think that this book would appeal to a wide range of audiences, and would be especially appealing to boys because of the male protagonist and other prominent male figures in the text.


"Part detective and suspense story, this multilayered novel is much more, touching on themes of communication, relationships in blended families, being different, friendship, adolescence, and shame" -The School Library Journal

Welcome to my Blog!

I will be using this blog to document my exploration of young adult literature. I hope that it will serve as a resource for fellow teachers, parents, and even students who are looking for young adult fiction that might be of interest to them. I will include summaries, reflections, lesson ideas, and press regarding the books that I read in an effort to provide those of you who are visiting the sight with a better "feel" for what the book being discussed is about, and to direct you to other related texts that might be of interest to you.

I hope you enjoy my blog, and I welcome your comments and feedback!

-Ms. Davis